DJs: they're just like us. They go out and debase themselves with late nights, random sex, excellent drugs, and free alcohol… and then wake up in the morning hating themselves and vowing to be better people. Since it's that time of the year when everyone gets all mopey and reflective, we rounded up some of our favorite DJs and asked them about their New Year's resolutions. Surprisingly to no one, at least 75% of their answers involved quitting alcohol.
THUMP: What was the best night you had in 2013?
I had a really good time DJing in San Diego at Bang Bang with 12th Planet, AC Slater, and Kastle. All the homies were there. It was real fun and the vibes were awesome. I loved my set too.What was a real game changer for you this year?Moving to LA for sure and starting my solo project as well.What was the dumbest thing you did this year?Ghostwrote.Do you have any New Year's resolutions?Yeah, I'm trying to smoke less weed.What was your shortest-lived resolution?Probably to smoke less weed.DJ PAYPAL
What's your favorite thing that happened to you this year?Meeting DJs Rashad and Spinn! We played my goodbye-from-Berlin party together with Mike Q on August 31, then we went back to my place to party and make tracks.What did you do this year that you will never do again? I will never eat eggs again.Why?I threw up.Um, anything else? Try to be more active. All I did was walk this year. But maybe next year I'll gym.What habits do you have that you will never change?Irony.Is that a habit? Yeah. Almost a lifestyle. It makes me feel awful sometimes.BLONDTRON
What was your best gig of 2013?Ooh that's a tough one. It's a tie… this year at Bass Coast I played back-to-back with J. Phlip who is just the best. We got locked in a weird cabin and I had to slide out of this tiny window. We were laughing so hard I just skidded down the outside of the building and scraped half my ass off.
Advertisement
Then I did a Twerk & Tease tour with these incredible burlesque babes, Sweet Soul Burlesque. It was just absolutely nuts, just me and three strippers driving to all these tiny mountain towns. Apparently a lot of people read about my time at Burning Man, and people brought bags and bags of Tootsie Rolls to our shows. So we added the Tootsie Rolls to our act. I would hide a few in my panties and upsidedown pussy pop to 69 Boyz "Tootsie Roll," and Crystal Precious would MC and grab them out of my crotch and throw them into the crowd.Our show at HiFi Club in Calgary was especially fun. They had a fancy full-color copier in the office which doubled as our green room so we scanned a million pictures of our butts and signed them and threw them into the crowd. And the entire Jamaican bobsled team was there. That is an actual thing, they are real.
What was your worst?I played a show, I won't say where, but with these super tired-ass old club-DJ-type dudes. Apparently the club owner had fired them, booked me, then hired them back to open for me so they were not stoked. They kicked me off, then proceeded to play a Calabria/Pitbull thing last heard blaring into the ears of a terrorist locked in a dog cage in an Iraqi prison basement. Also this guy slapped my ass really hard and I freaked out but then this tiny little pixie girl just straight up punched him in the face. Did I mention I was somewhere in Alberta?
Advertisement
Worst decision?Leaving paradise in Grass Valley with all my friends to drive 16 hours straight to Vancouver to open for Trina. But her dress malfunctioned and she only played for twenty minutes even though I taped her boob to her dress for her. I LOVE YOU TRINA BUT ME TOUCHING YOUR BOOB DID NOT MAKE UP FOR THE AMOUNT OF TAQUITOS AND GAS STATION COFFEE I INGESTED TO MAKE IT TO YOU.What was your shortest-lived New Years resolution?I think I tried to be celibate for three months one time or something like that.Did you do anything this year that you will never ever do again? Gambled on a fart and lost… while riding my bike.What is the first thing you are gonna do in 2014?Usually do the polar bear swim, but this year I'm playing Jackson Hole so I suppose I'll untangle myself from some handsome cabana boy on a bearskin rug and send him to fetch us mimosas.PLASTICIAN
Would you say, overall, that it's been a good year for you? In some aspects it's been great. Terrorhythm, my label, has gone from strength to strength this year and started to carve out some real identity both online and through our events. I got to experience life in Los Angeles for three months; it was great getting to experience the whole scene there from dingy mid-week events in dive bars right up to bottle service at tables in Hollywood with Grammy winners on Grammy night!On the other hand, upon returning to the UK in March, it seemed that the bass music scene over here had somewhat deflated with the huge surge in the popularity in house, techno, and more traditional strains of dance music. It was really tough to translate the music I was playing to a lot of the party promoters in the UK because of it. Although I play a wide range of music, including four-to-the-floor stuff, it isn't straight-up house or techno for a full set and that found me in a tough spot.
Advertisement
Towards the back end of the year though, things have picked back up. I've been enjoying the spontaneity of my gigs lately. They've all been so different and that's exactly where I have always wanted to be.What did you do this year that you swear to do never again?I really need to stop replying to pricks on the Internet. It's so annoying how much the smallest remark can stick with me all day. I really need to kick that habit.SCRATCHA DVA
What was your top moment this year?In Scotland the promoters' girl made me a massive cake and brought it to my show in Sneaky Pete's club in Edinburgh. It was my two favorite things—chocolate and avocado. But at the end I got wasted and totally blacked out. The promoter told me they brought it to the stage but I just threw it into the air and it hit some girl. Apparently her and her friends tried to rush me but I got away. I apologized on Twitter and offered to pay any dry cleaning bills. I had also watched a Steve Aoki vid that week so i think it was a subconcious thing.What did you do this year that you will never ever do again?Ketamine… I need to be mobile and functional.Do you have any new years resolutions?No, 'cuz I always break them.DJ CRAZE
What was the best thing that happened for you this year?Best thing to happen to me this year was being able to wake up every day in one piece!What did you do this year that you will never do again?I will never go to Vegas thinking I can control my drinking. I almost completely messed up my thumb this year and it's still not back to 100 percent.
Advertisement
Favorite new friend?No new friends… word to Drake!What was your shortest-lived New Years Resolution?Giving up the devil's juice… it lasted two months and I started hating my career.Do you have any resolutions you hope to keep this year?Giving up the devil's juice. Hopefully I can learn to have good times with people that are getting hammered and letting go of their inhibitions.CURSES
Photo by Adri LawWhat was your best gig this year?
The Bugged out 19th birthday in London—Heidi, Maya Jane Coles, Miss Kittin, Blondish, Eli & Fur to name a few. It was such an epic line-up and night.What was your worst gig this year? It was in Russia. The promoter literally crawled onto the stage mid-set and passed me a note that said "sing song for people BRO! more DINAMIC! [sic]" then kicked me off because I didn't sing enough.What did you do this year that you definitely won't be doing next year?Eat fried tarantulas in Cambodia.What did you do that you will continue doing forever?Take a break from club music and go to museums.Any New Year's resolutions?Eat healthier and stop drinking so much.Shortest-lived New Year's resolution?Eating healthier and not drinking so much.One you actually kept?Not eating healthier and drinking so much.L-VIS 1990
What was your best show this year?I think that has to be the Night Slugs and Fade to Mind after hours party at SXSW. Even though the alcohol stopped at 2AM the party raged until six. There was something so magical about that night!
Advertisement
What was your worst show this year?EDC Chicago was so shocking. There was the craziest storm and the site looked like an post-apocalyptic scene from an EDM zombie movie. The promoters obviously didn't think rain was an option that weekend so they didn't even bother to cover any of the stages! I ended up playing to 50 drenched ravers under some leaking trash bags. Not cute.What did you do this year that you definitely wont be doing next year?EDC Chicago.What did you do that you will continue doing forever?I quit smoking and started to vape!What are you excited about for 2014?So much. My new Dance Systems EP and tour with Clone Records in January, an exciting new Club Constructions project, the Night Slugs fifth anniversary, and developing my opera with Matthew Stone.Any New Year's resolutions?Maybe I should go to the gym for the first time in my life?AC SLATER
What was the best idea you had in 2013?I adopted a cat.What was the worst idea?I adopted a cat.Did you do anything in 2013 that you definitely not will be doing in 2014?Click Buzzfeed links on Facebook.Who is your favorite new friend that you met this year?Drake.What is your New Year's resolution?To lose at least 300 pounds.DANIEL DISASTER OF HEROES X VILLAINS
Tell me a crazy story from this year? I played in Moscow this year for the first time and they tear-gassed the crowd to clear them out after the show. I've never seen anything like it before. Only in Russia!
Advertisement
Did anything happen that you did not see coming at all?I didn't expect "Harlem Shake" to become a thing. Also didn't expect Lil Internet to finally gain the recognition he deserves. That guy is a visionary and the world is just starting to catch up. Beyonce the luxurious goddess came in like a wrecking ball on all these hoes and sent them back to the drawing board.Did you do anything that you definitely won't be doing in 2014?I won't be wearing any sports-influenced streetwear.Do you have a New Year's resolution?To continue my journey in sobriety. It's a resolution I make to myself every morning.What are you looking forward to in 2014?
I'm looking forward to the future. We live in an incredible world with amazing technological advances. Its really amazing and very overwhelming when you think about it. So many people are making music, art, or creating. They are finding their own voice and have a distribution channel through the Internet. I am also selfishly looking forward to traveling, eating great food, spending time with my family and my love Nilan (DJ Speakerfoxxx).NINA LAS VEGAS
Best gig this year?
House Party at the Metro Theatre in Sydney, or Girls Girls Girls at the Social Club in Paris. Watching Flume play the Hordern was very emotional too.Worst gig this year?A private party for a cigarette company. I was like Lisa Simpson when everyone around her was smoking. I still think I'm going to hell for selling my soul.
Advertisement
What did you not see coming at all? Getting married to Hudson Mohawke by Just Blaze at 3AM after Listen Out in Sydney. No prenup.Favorite new friend? Jimmy from Flght Facilities, Orlando (T.E.E.D), and the video guy from my work.RIZZLA
What was your best gig this year?Ghe20 Goth1k now and forever.What was your worst gig this year? A guest set at my old residency. Sometimes you just can't go home.What did you do this year that you definitely wont be doing next year?Giving some people too much encouragement.Any New Year's resolutions?Take more mushrooms, smoke fewer Newport 100s.FREE MAGIC
What was a real game-changer for you this year?Daft Punk stepped down from the unshakable high school pedestal I've had them on since my introduction to house. It was sad. I also think it really effectively showed that marketing is a big portion of an album's success, but for something to stick beyond the mandatory three months of hype and paid radio play, it's gotta be good.Do you have a New Years Resolution?Finally quit smoking and finish songs before starting new ones.Tell me a good story that sums up your 2013. So in LA around April, THUMP produced our launch event, and coworker asked if we could run Cajmere back to his hotel. Curtis asked me to put some music on and I played a few things. He nodded his head very subtly and was like, "This is cool but there's a lot going on. What do you have that's not done yet?" Sweating like a 90s chick at a NKOTB meet-and-greet, I put on what I thought were my best unfinished songs, and he gave the same "these are cute" response.The last thing I put on was a little drum workout I made just trying to sync a bunch of synths together. On a scale of confident to meh, I would have gone with meh, but Curtis loved it. When I dropped him off, he asked if I wanted to work on it with him, and a few weeks later we had a song together called "Do Yo Thang." It came out on Cajual, and when I walked up to see him play in Detroit, he opened with it. I was floored.
ONE EMAIL. ONE STORY. EVERY WEEK. SIGN UP FOR THE VICE NEWSLETTER.
By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.
What's your favorite thing that happened to you this year?Meeting DJs Rashad and Spinn! We played my goodbye-from-Berlin party together with Mike Q on August 31, then we went back to my place to party and make tracks.What did you do this year that you will never do again? I will never eat eggs again.Why?I threw up.Um, anything else? Try to be more active. All I did was walk this year. But maybe next year I'll gym.What habits do you have that you will never change?Irony.Is that a habit? Yeah. Almost a lifestyle. It makes me feel awful sometimes.BLONDTRON
What was your best gig of 2013?Ooh that's a tough one. It's a tie… this year at Bass Coast I played back-to-back with J. Phlip who is just the best. We got locked in a weird cabin and I had to slide out of this tiny window. We were laughing so hard I just skidded down the outside of the building and scraped half my ass off.
Then I did a Twerk & Tease tour with these incredible burlesque babes, Sweet Soul Burlesque. It was just absolutely nuts, just me and three strippers driving to all these tiny mountain towns. Apparently a lot of people read about my time at Burning Man, and people brought bags and bags of Tootsie Rolls to our shows. So we added the Tootsie Rolls to our act. I would hide a few in my panties and upsidedown pussy pop to 69 Boyz "Tootsie Roll," and Crystal Precious would MC and grab them out of my crotch and throw them into the crowd.Our show at HiFi Club in Calgary was especially fun. They had a fancy full-color copier in the office which doubled as our green room so we scanned a million pictures of our butts and signed them and threw them into the crowd. And the entire Jamaican bobsled team was there. That is an actual thing, they are real.
What was your worst?I played a show, I won't say where, but with these super tired-ass old club-DJ-type dudes. Apparently the club owner had fired them, booked me, then hired them back to open for me so they were not stoked. They kicked me off, then proceeded to play a Calabria/Pitbull thing last heard blaring into the ears of a terrorist locked in a dog cage in an Iraqi prison basement. Also this guy slapped my ass really hard and I freaked out but then this tiny little pixie girl just straight up punched him in the face. Did I mention I was somewhere in Alberta?Worst decision?Leaving paradise in Grass Valley with all my friends to drive 16 hours straight to Vancouver to open for Trina. But her dress malfunctioned and she only played for twenty minutes even though I taped her boob to her dress for her. I LOVE YOU TRINA BUT ME TOUCHING YOUR BOOB DID NOT MAKE UP FOR THE AMOUNT OF TAQUITOS AND GAS STATION COFFEE I INGESTED TO MAKE IT TO YOU.What was your shortest-lived New Years resolution?I think I tried to be celibate for three months one time or something like that.Did you do anything this year that you will never ever do again? Gambled on a fart and lost… while riding my bike.What is the first thing you are gonna do in 2014?Usually do the polar bear swim, but this year I'm playing Jackson Hole so I suppose I'll untangle myself from some handsome cabana boy on a bearskin rug and send him to fetch us mimosas.PLASTICIAN
Would you say, overall, that it's been a good year for you? In some aspects it's been great. Terrorhythm, my label, has gone from strength to strength this year and started to carve out some real identity both online and through our events. I got to experience life in Los Angeles for three months; it was great getting to experience the whole scene there from dingy mid-week events in dive bars right up to bottle service at tables in Hollywood with Grammy winners on Grammy night!On the other hand, upon returning to the UK in March, it seemed that the bass music scene over here had somewhat deflated with the huge surge in the popularity in house, techno, and more traditional strains of dance music. It was really tough to translate the music I was playing to a lot of the party promoters in the UK because of it. Although I play a wide range of music, including four-to-the-floor stuff, it isn't straight-up house or techno for a full set and that found me in a tough spot.Towards the back end of the year though, things have picked back up. I've been enjoying the spontaneity of my gigs lately. They've all been so different and that's exactly where I have always wanted to be.What did you do this year that you swear to do never again?I really need to stop replying to pricks on the Internet. It's so annoying how much the smallest remark can stick with me all day. I really need to kick that habit.SCRATCHA DVA
What was your top moment this year?In Scotland the promoters' girl made me a massive cake and brought it to my show in Sneaky Pete's club in Edinburgh. It was my two favorite things—chocolate and avocado. But at the end I got wasted and totally blacked out. The promoter told me they brought it to the stage but I just threw it into the air and it hit some girl. Apparently her and her friends tried to rush me but I got away. I apologized on Twitter and offered to pay any dry cleaning bills. I had also watched a Steve Aoki vid that week so i think it was a subconcious thing.What did you do this year that you will never ever do again?Ketamine… I need to be mobile and functional.Do you have any new years resolutions?No, 'cuz I always break them.DJ CRAZE
What was the best thing that happened for you this year?Best thing to happen to me this year was being able to wake up every day in one piece!What did you do this year that you will never do again?I will never go to Vegas thinking I can control my drinking. I almost completely messed up my thumb this year and it's still not back to 100 percent.Favorite new friend?No new friends… word to Drake!What was your shortest-lived New Years Resolution?Giving up the devil's juice… it lasted two months and I started hating my career.Do you have any resolutions you hope to keep this year?Giving up the devil's juice. Hopefully I can learn to have good times with people that are getting hammered and letting go of their inhibitions.CURSES 
Photo by Adri LawWhat was your best gig this year?
What was your best show this year?I think that has to be the Night Slugs and Fade to Mind after hours party at SXSW. Even though the alcohol stopped at 2AM the party raged until six. There was something so magical about that night!What was your worst show this year?EDC Chicago was so shocking. There was the craziest storm and the site looked like an post-apocalyptic scene from an EDM zombie movie. The promoters obviously didn't think rain was an option that weekend so they didn't even bother to cover any of the stages! I ended up playing to 50 drenched ravers under some leaking trash bags. Not cute.What did you do this year that you definitely wont be doing next year?EDC Chicago.What did you do that you will continue doing forever?I quit smoking and started to vape!What are you excited about for 2014?So much. My new Dance Systems EP and tour with Clone Records in January, an exciting new Club Constructions project, the Night Slugs fifth anniversary, and developing my opera with Matthew Stone.Any New Year's resolutions?Maybe I should go to the gym for the first time in my life?AC SLATER
What was the best idea you had in 2013?I adopted a cat.What was the worst idea?I adopted a cat.Did you do anything in 2013 that you definitely not will be doing in 2014?Click Buzzfeed links on Facebook.Who is your favorite new friend that you met this year?Drake.What is your New Year's resolution?To lose at least 300 pounds.DANIEL DISASTER OF HEROES X VILLAINS
Tell me a crazy story from this year? I played in Moscow this year for the first time and they tear-gassed the crowd to clear them out after the show. I've never seen anything like it before. Only in Russia!Did anything happen that you did not see coming at all?I didn't expect "Harlem Shake" to become a thing. Also didn't expect Lil Internet to finally gain the recognition he deserves. That guy is a visionary and the world is just starting to catch up. Beyonce the luxurious goddess came in like a wrecking ball on all these hoes and sent them back to the drawing board.Did you do anything that you definitely won't be doing in 2014?I won't be wearing any sports-influenced streetwear.Do you have a New Year's resolution?To continue my journey in sobriety. It's a resolution I make to myself every morning.What are you looking forward to in 2014?
Best gig this year?
What was your best gig this year?Ghe20 Goth1k now and forever.What was your worst gig this year? A guest set at my old residency. Sometimes you just can't go home.What did you do this year that you definitely wont be doing next year?Giving some people too much encouragement.Any New Year's resolutions?Take more mushrooms, smoke fewer Newport 100s.FREE MAGIC
What was a real game-changer for you this year?Daft Punk stepped down from the unshakable high school pedestal I've had them on since my introduction to house. It was sad. I also think it really effectively showed that marketing is a big portion of an album's success, but for something to stick beyond the mandatory three months of hype and paid radio play, it's gotta be good.Do you have a New Years Resolution?Finally quit smoking and finish songs before starting new ones.Tell me a good story that sums up your 2013. So in LA around April, THUMP produced our launch event, and coworker asked if we could run Cajmere back to his hotel. Curtis asked me to put some music on and I played a few things. He nodded his head very subtly and was like, "This is cool but there's a lot going on. What do you have that's not done yet?" Sweating like a 90s chick at a NKOTB meet-and-greet, I put on what I thought were my best unfinished songs, and he gave the same "these are cute" response.The last thing I put on was a little drum workout I made just trying to sync a bunch of synths together. On a scale of confident to meh, I would have gone with meh, but Curtis loved it. When I dropped him off, he asked if I wanted to work on it with him, and a few weeks later we had a song together called "Do Yo Thang." It came out on Cajual, and when I walked up to see him play in Detroit, he opened with it. I was floored.